At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead IT Service Management across critical services, ensuring efficiency and best practices.
- Company: Join DVLA, a key player in public service with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, generous pension contributions, and 25+ days holiday.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with excellent career growth and support for professional development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on national services while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Senior-level ITSM experience and strong leadership abilities required.
The predicted salary is between 69501 - 69501 € per year.
Location: Swansea (This role is suitable for hybrid working)
Salary: £69,501 - A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
As a Lead IT Service Manager at DVLA, you will provide senior leadership and accountability for all aspects of IT Service Management (ITSM) across one of DVLA’s three major service towers: Drivers, Vehicles or Core (underpinning services or those spanning Drivers and Vehicles). You will act as the senior focal point for your tower, ensuring services are delivered effectively, efficiently and in line with industry best practice. You will be accountable for IT service ownership across a large and diverse portfolio of services, including responsibility for the effective and efficient operation of fourteen distinct ITSM practices/functions, ensuring continual alignment to evolving industry best practice. This role is at the heart of ensuring the availability, performance, security and continual improvement of DVLA’s IT services, many of which are business‑critical, public‑facing and nationally significant.
Top Responsibilities
- Provide direct, hands‑on leadership for the most business critical and/or highest complexity ITSM activities arising from all work across your service tower. This includes major cross-functional/matrix leadership of resources spanning all ITS capabilities, other DVLA directorates (operational and non-operational) and external partner/supplier organisations.
- Be accountable for the overall line management and mentorship of all resources within your service tower.
- Work with other Lead IT Service Managers to re-assign resources between the services towers as required, according to both day-to-day operational ITSM demands, e.g. Incident and Change, alongside strategic, longer-term work such as Service Architecture and Transition.
- Ensure that your team holds holistic knowledge of all services within its tower, i.e. their business purpose and context, underpinning technology, support model and stakeholders. For the most business-critical services, hold this knowledge yourself.
- Hold and proactively maintain expert level knowledge of ITSM industry best practice, staying abreast of evolving industry trends including how ITSM interfaces with other modern industry philosophies adopted at DVLA, such as DevOps and Agile. Be accountable for disseminating and ensuring application of this throughout all work within your service tower.
Benefits
- Best in class learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues
- Generous employer contribution of 28.9%, depending on chosen pension scheme
- Digital communities with clear career frameworks
- On-site nursery, restaurants and coffee bar
- 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), increasing by 1 each year (up to 30) & 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday
- 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff
- Free parking
About You
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
- Senior‑level experience in IT Service Management, with expert knowledge of modern industry best practice and a strong track record of applying it pragmatically within a complex organisation.
- Managing portfolios of IT services, including leading critical incidents, complex change and service improvement initiatives.
- You will be comfortable operating as a senior decision maker, balancing technical risk, service availability, customer impact and organisational priorities.
- An experienced leader who can inspire, develop and mentor ITSM teams, while also exercising strong cross‑functional leadership across engineering, delivery, business and supplier communities.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the confidence to influence decisions at senior leadership and Executive level, and to clearly articulate service risks, impacts and options to technical and non‑technical audiences alike.
Additional Information
The following qualifications should be held, or willing to work towards once in post:
- ITIL v5 Foundation Certified
- Agile Service Manager
- DevOps Institute: DevOps Foundation
- DevOps Institute: Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Foundation
This vacancy closes at 23:55 on Friday 15th May 2026
Lead IT Service Manager in Swansea employer: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
As a Lead IT Service Manager at DVLA in Swansea, you will thrive in a dynamic environment that champions work-life balance and offers flexible hybrid working options. With a strong commitment to employee development, generous benefits including a substantial pension contribution, and a culture that values diversity and inclusion, DVLA stands out as an exceptional employer dedicated to fostering growth and innovation within the public sector.
Contact Detail:
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead IT Service Manager in Swansea
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the IT Service Management field, especially those who might have insights into the DVLA. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your knowledge of ITSM best practices and how they relate to the DVLA's services. We want you to showcase your expertise and how you can lead their IT service management effectively.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t forget to highlight your leadership skills! When you get the chance to speak with hiring managers, share examples of how you've inspired and developed teams in previous roles. It’s all about showing you can lead at a senior level.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us. Let’s make it happen!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead IT Service Manager in Swansea
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the Lead IT Service Manager role. Highlight your senior-level experience in IT Service Management and any relevant certifications like ITIL v5 or Agile Service Manager. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're the perfect fit for this role at DVLA. Share specific examples of how you've led ITSM activities and managed complex portfolios. We love a good story that showcases your leadership skills!
Showcase Your Leadership Style:In your application, make sure to highlight your leadership style and how you inspire and mentor teams. We’re looking for someone who can lead cross-functional teams effectively, so give us a glimpse of how you do that in your previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us directly. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at StudySmarter. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
✨Know Your ITSM Inside Out
Make sure you have a solid grasp of IT Service Management principles, especially the latest industry best practices. Brush up on your knowledge of ITIL v5 and how it applies to the role at DVLA. Being able to discuss specific examples of how you've implemented these practices in previous roles will really impress.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Lead IT Service Manager, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead and mentor teams effectively. Prepare examples of how you've inspired and developed your team in the past, and be ready to discuss your approach to cross-functional leadership. Highlight any successful projects where your leadership made a difference.
✨Communicate Clearly with Stakeholders
You’ll be dealing with both technical and non-technical audiences, so practice articulating complex ideas in simple terms. Think about how you can convey service risks and impacts clearly. Role-play potential scenarios with a friend to get comfortable with this aspect of the interview.
✨Stay Current with Industry Trends
Keep yourself updated on the latest trends in ITSM, DevOps, and Agile methodologies. Be prepared to discuss how these trends can influence DVLA's service delivery. Showing that you're proactive about learning and adapting will set you apart from other candidates.
